Damas, Dr. David -
Professor Emeritus of Anthropology at McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, passed away on April 14, 2010, in Burlington, Ontario. Dr. Damas was born on December 27, 1926, in Algoma, Wisconsin. He exhibited an early interest in adventure that resulted in becoming an Eagle Scout. After serving in the U.S. Marine Corps, Dr. Damas received a bachelor's degree in English literature from the University of Toledo. Instead of pursuing a career in that area, he followed his family tradition of working on lake ships and tugboats—having received his ship's Masters License. He later decided to pursue his passion for anthropology and earned a master's and a doctorate degree in anthropology from the University of Chicago. It was during his graduate studies that he made the first of many expeditions to the Arctic. Upon graduation, he took a position as an Arctic ethnologist for the National Museum of Canada. Dr. Damas was a premier scholar of the Arctic and a leading authority on Innuit social structure. He became a professor at McMaster University. In 1975, he embarked on the first of four field trips to Pingelap atoll and Pohnpei Island in Micronesia. His anthropological work in the Pacific focused on land-tenure practices. His professional accomplishments include numerous articles in scholarly publications and presentations at professional conferences. He authored the following books: Igluligmiut Kinship and Local Groupings: A Structural Approach; Bountiful Island: A Study of Land Tenure on a Micronesian Atoll; and Arctic Migrants/Arctic Villagers: the Transformation of Inuit Settlement in the Central Arctic. He also edited The Smithsonian Handbook of North American Indians, Vol. 5: Arctic. He wrote the article "Nomads of the North" for the National Geographic Society The World of the American Indian. Dr. Damas loved sailing and golfing. He was preceded in death by his parents Raymond Z. and Laura H. Damas, and brothers Daniel F. Damas and Hugh P. Damas. He is survived by his loving family: sister-in-law Shirley E. Damas (Green Bay, Wisconsin), nieces and nephew Paula (Joseph) Gleckler (Delta, Ohio), Laura Damas (Jan Czekajewski) (Columbus, Ohio), Mary (Geoffrey) Humphrys (Toledo, Ohio), Susan L. Damas (Green Bay, Wisconsin) and Scott R. Damas (Green Bay, Wisconsin).